Related Articles

PHNOM PENH— With regional and international competition increasing, Cambodia’s workers could be falling behind.

A new World Bank report says Cambodia’s labor force lacks the skills to advance the country’s economy, even as an increasing number of young people enter the labor market.

Sitting near her motorscooter outside a gas station in Phnom Penh recently, Bun Chenda, 26, who graduated Build Bright University with a tourism degree three years ago, says she can’t find work.

“When I studied at school, I studied only theory, and did not practice, so I don’t have specific skills to find a job,” she said.

Many graduates of Cambodia’s schools don’t have the skills that industries are looking for. Meanwhile, thousands of new people enter the job market each year.

Not long ago, Dao Yan Phirum, 30, was among them. He graduated the National University of Management, but, without a specific skill set, he said, he was forced to return home and help his parents.

Deab Sophirak, deputy director for Chamroeun University of Poly-Technology, said 500 students graduate from his school every year. Only about 10 find jobs, he said.

That’s not only a concern for young people looking for work, but for Cambodia as a whole, as Asean moves toward economic integration and as global competition increases.

Kem Lay, a sociology researcher, said Cambodia needs “human resources and real skills” if it expects to compete. That will mean more people going to school for specific purposes, such as technical skills, and then using those skills in the workplace.

Right now, that isn’t happening. Research by the International Labor Organization recently found that only about 10 percent of students registered in secondary school are in technical or vocational schools.

Only about 2 percent of students in higher education are in similar schools. In universities, a small fraction of students are undertaking programs in engineering or natural sciences, the ILO found.

Hundreds of people demonstrated outside Cambodia’s Senate on Friday morning as senators inside debated a controversial new law designed to regulate the non-profit sector. The Law on Associations and NGOs, or LANGO, has been widely criticized by non-profits and many of Cambodia’s development partners, not least because it gives the government carte blanche to close down any organization. VOA Khmer Hul Reaksmey reports from Phnom Penh.

You can say, "I can't believe he's not accepting responsibility for his mistakes. To 'save face' he continues to make excuses for himself." What does it mean? Watch here.
For more videos - go to www.youtube.com/KhmerSpecialEnglish or www.khmer.voanews.com/maniandmori. To contact Mani & Mori - write to them at maniandmori@gmail.com.

Video

You can say, "I can't believe he's not accepting responsibility for his mistakes. To 'save face' he continues to make excuses for himself." What does it mean? Watch here. For more videos - go to youtube.com/KhmerSpecialEnglish. To contact Mani & Mori - write to them at maniandmori@gmail.com.

Video

You can say, "What? You lost your passport? So, you're stranded in a foreign country, where you don't speak the language and you don't know anyone? You've got to be kidding me, right?" What does it mean? Watch here. For more videos - go to youtube.com/KhmerSpecialEnglish.

Video

You can say, "He has many strong qualities as a leader and under his leadership I think he will successfully 'carry out' the new mission and vision for this company." What does it mean? Watch here. For more videos - go to youtube.com/KhmerSpecialEnglish.

Video

You can say, "The visit to the doctor was definitely 'a wake up call' for him. The heavy drinking, smoking, and partying every night needs to stop." What does it mean? For more videos - go to www.youtube.com/KhmerSpecialEnglish. To contact Mani & Mori - write to them at maniandmori@gmail.com.